Citrix buys into desktop virtualisation company

It really is the year when everything is happening in desktop virtualisation. Citrix, which has been particularly active in this field, has made a push in another direction by making what it calls a "strategic investment" into Kaviza, a company that looks to bring desktop virtualisation to small businesses.

The unspecified Citrix investment has been made to develop Kaviza's VDI-in-a-Box service, the company's desktop virtualisation offering for SMEs, an appliance that automates theprovisioning, load-balancing and management of virtual desktops. The company claims that the rollout can be carried out considerably more cheaply than the cost of providing an desktop PC.

"Interest in virtual desktops is beginning to reach beyond large enterprises. Small and medium enterprises are starting to see the benefits of providing employees with access to virtual desktops from anywhere. We are impressed with how simply Kaviza enables customers to deploy desktop virtualisation with minimal investment, making it an ideal choice for SME customers and the service providers who target this market," said Andy Cohen, Citrix's senior director for strategic development.

Rachel Chalmers, research director at The 451 Group, says, "Citrix's investment in Kaviza demonstrates the heterogeneity of the desktop virtualisation market and reinforces the need for a VDI product that customers can quickly deploy with minimal capital expense. This provides great validation for Kaviza's business model and approach."

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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